An Anglo-Saxon gold fitting
Found in Sutton-on-the-Forest, North Yorkshire, by Mr Robin Sykes, while searching with a metal detector, and recorded by the Yorkshire Finds Liaison Officer.
A gold fitting, perhaps a strap end, from the second half of the 9th century. The fitting is in the form of an animal head, with ears, eyes and a lollign tongue. The protruding eyes are inlaid with cut glass with blue glass studs; the brows and muzzle are decorated with scrolls of beaded filigree wire. The function of this fitting remains a mystery, but it resembles strap ends found from this period, and even a feature on the Alfred Jewel.
By Leslie Webster, British Museum
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